Catheters or especially intermittent urinary catheters are medical devices that are used to drain urine from the urinary bladder in situations where the users are not capable of voiding their bladders or where users have afflictions that cause problems in emptying their bladders.
Intermittent urinary catheters are often single use catheters that are provided with a lubricant, such as a gel lubricant, or the catheters may be provided with a surface coating that provides a low-friction surface on the catheter, such as a catheter having a hydrophilic coating. A frequent side effect of using catheters, including single use catheters is that users have a higher risk of getting a urinary tract infection, which may often be caused by bacteria that come into contact with the catheter prior to insertion. In an attempt to reduce the risk of contracting a urinary tract infection, single use catheters are often provided in sterile packages that maintain the catheters sterile until the user intends to use the catheter and opens the package.
When a sterile catheter package has been opened, there are a number of different scenarios the user may have to face. If the catheter is a gel lubricated catheter, the user has to withdraw the catheter and apply the gel to the surface of the catheter prior to insertion. In a different situation, where the catheter is a dry hydrophilic catheter, the user has to pour water into the package for activating the coating and then withdraw the catheter from the package. In another situation, where the catheter is a ready to use catheter, the user withdraws the catheter from the package and prepares for insertion.
The conventional catheter packages are usually provided in the form of one or two sheets of film that has to be opened to access the catheter. This means that the user is forced to handle the catheter before use in order to withdraw the catheter from the package.
A large group of users of intermittent catheters are persons that have reduced motor skills, as they may have lost voluntary bladder control due to illnesses, such as spina bifida, or accidents that have caused damage to the spinal cord, resulting in either para- or tetraplegia. This group of users may have a reduced dexterity in their hands or fingers and may often struggle with the preparation and/or withdrawal of catheters from their packages, which may further lead to the contamination of the catheter due to the lack of control of their hand or finger movements.